France braces for strikes as unions reject early minimum wage hike as insufficient

France faces a new week of social unrest as the government hosts a social conference on wages, while unions and youth groups excluded from the talks call for strikes and protests on Tuesday. The government will accept an early minimum wage increase to over 1,500 euros net monthly starting December 1, up from 1,477 euros. CGT leader Sophie Binet dismissed this as insufficient, saying "anger will not disappear" over "a few extra euros." Public sector workers and youth representatives were excluded from the Matignon conference, which Binet called "a scandal." Student unions demand exam accommodations amid campus blockades, while polls show Marine Le Pen leading presidential voting intentions.